WINGS: Tell us a little about A Continental Marriage. Where is it set? Who are the main characters? What is the major conflict?

SUSANNE: A Continental Marriage is a Regency romance set in 1814. Here’s a brief outline of the plot: American Nicolette Turner has a bone to pick with the British. Not only are her country’s maritime rights being violated, but her English grandfather demands that she visit him. What she doesn’t know is that he intends for her to marry, and stay in England. The most eligible suitor is neighbor Victor Kincaid. Victor has severe money problems, and the grandfather offers to take care of the debts... if he marries Nicolette. At first Victor believes she’s a fortune-hunter, but soon becomes captivated by her. Can he convince her he wants more than a marriage of convenience? If you’d like to view a book trailer, please visit http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h_rL4WXUGCc.

WINGS: What or who inspired you to write this book?

SUSANNE: I love writing Regencies, and including A Continental Marriage, have twelve Regency novels published/to be published. Six of these are time-travel Regencies where the heroine is American. With A Continental Marriage, I wanted to try my hand at having an American heroine as a contemporary with her Regency peers. The War of 1812 seemed a perfect background for Nicolette and Victor to be at odds with each other for their external conflict.

WINGS: What did you find difficult about writing this book?

SUSANNE: In A Continental Marriage, I wanted to have some of the characters from another one of my Regencies, The Reluctant Landlord, make a brief appearance. So in addition to creating Nicolette and Victor’s story, I had to decide where to introduce Katrina and Quentin. I also had to revisit their personalities, along with a few of the other characters.

WINGS: What did you find easy about writing this book?

SUSANNE: This isn’t about the writing of A Continental Marriage, but in choosing the cover. Nicolette is referred to as an American rose. In a recent graduation picture, my daughter is in a country setting and is holding a red rose. Cover artist Christine Poe agreed with me that this picture would make a perfect cover for A Continental Marriage!

WINGS: What is it about writing that you find so attractive?

SUSANNE: I’ve always enjoyed writing, be it a novel, short story, or even a business letter! And reading came even easier to me; as a kid, my idea of a perfect summer vacation was to have lots and lots of books to read. So what could be more natural than to create my own stories? I love to combine fantasy with my own particular kind of reality; thus my motto: Romance Writing with a Twist.

WINGS: Have you written other stories or books? What are they about?

SUSANNE: UPDATE: I’ve sold 42 books including an anthology. In addition to A Continental Marriage, my novels with Wings ePress are:

Alien Heat--What happens when an “uncivilized” villager matches wits with a handsome warrior... AND strange, heat-producing plants intent on turning Earth into another Venus? and

The Reluctant Landlord--Lord Udall plans to install his mistress at his newly won lodging, but impoverished Katrina wants to live there instead. Who will be the victor?

For more information on my other books--romances in these genres: Regency, science fiction, suspense, paranormal, mystery, contemporary, and fantasy--please visit my website: http://www.susanneknight.com.

WINGS: What's the hardest part about the writing process to you? 

SUSANNE: When I write, I like to experience what I’m writing about, and I want to describe it to the reader so that she lives through the experience too. This can be emotionally draining, depending on what’s going on in the story. But I find it particularly difficult to write if the setting is someplace I’ve never been, or seen in pictures, or experienced somehow. What I’m really saying is, world-building in science fiction stories can be very hard to write about. In my futuristic science fiction novel, Alien Heat, I had to propel myself into the distant future and envision a scenario where Earth has been bombarded by fragments of Venus. Climate and civilization, as we know it, has been drastically altered. Creating and populating a believable world and culture from scratch takes some heavy research!

WINGS: What's the easiest?

SUSANNE: The easiest part about writing a novel: getting the ideas!

WINGS: Describe your writing process/habits. Do you write at certain times of the day? Do you start with an outline or synopsis? How long does it take you to complete a book?

SUSANNE: I need to write when I have the most energy flowing so I schedule my writing time for the mornings--usually three days a week. Life has been rather crazy lately, (!) so I haven’t been able to write much. Fingers crossed things will calm down soon. <g> What’s best for me is to have a solid block of time so I can “lose” myself in the story. The first thing I do when I sit at the computer is read over the last scene or chapter that I wrote. This is to get back into the story. Then I start with the new writing. My goal is to continue until I finish a scene or until a new character enters the mix. Then I’m done writing for the day.

As for outlining the plot, no, I’m a fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants type of writer, which means I don’t have the action plotted out for my book. This is probably not the best way to write, but it works for me. I use the “what if” scenario to figure out where I'm going, then I choose my characters and let them decide what will happen next. I enjoy writing this way because I rarely know how my characters are going to solve their problems! After I’m finished with the book, then I do the synopsis.

As for how long it takes to write a novel--right now it takes me longer to write, not because I have writer’s block, but because... Life has been rather crazy (see above!) Again, fingers crossed Life will go back to normal.

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